Cordyceps cicadae is an entomogenous fungus that has been used as a valuable traditional Chinese herbal tonic, however, it can be difficult to discern the false from the genuine. In this study, the macroscopic IR fingerprint methods containing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and second derivative infrared spectroscopy (SD-IR) were used to elucidate wild C. cicadae. The TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method was used to comprehensively evaluate C. cicadae from different geographical origins based on the macroscopic infrared spectroscopy (IR) fingerprint. The FT-IR spectra of C. cicadae exhibited the major characteristics of the absorptive peaks of carbohydrates, lipids and nucleosides at the position of 3291, 2925, 2845, 1651, 1547, 1455, 1080 and 950 cm-1. The high resolution of SD-IR further amplified the difference and revealed the potentially characteristic IR absorption spectrum. TOPSIS evaluation showed that C. cicadae from Anhui possess the strongest intensity of absorption bands among all the samples. Notably, FT-IR combined with SD-IR can effectively reveal the overall chemical components without damaging medicinal materials, and TOPSIS methods can provide a novel scientific evidence for comprehensively assessing different origins of wild C. cicadae.

• Keywords
• Cordyceps cicadae, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Geographical origins, Second derivative infrared spectroscopy (SD-IR), TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method,
• MeSH
• Cordyceps chemistry   growth & development   MeSH
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal chemistry   MeSH
• Lipids chemistry   MeSH
• Nucleosides chemistry   MeSH
• Carbohydrates chemistry   MeSH
• Spectrophotometry, Infrared MeSH
• Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal MeSH
• Lipids MeSH
• Nucleosides MeSH
• Carbohydrates MeSH

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus prevalence is increasing among adults and children around the world. Diabetes care is complex; examining the diet, type of medication, diabetes recognition, and willingness to use self-management tools are just a few of the challenges faced by diabetes clinicians who should make decisions about them. Making the appropriate decisions will reduce the cost of treatment, decrease the mortality rate of diabetes, and improve the life quality of patients with diabetes. Effective decision-making is within the realm of multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. OBJECTIVE: The central objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of MCDM methods and then introduce a novel categorization framework for their use in this field. METHODS: The literature search was focused on publications from 2003 to 2023. Finally, by applying the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method, 63 articles were selected and examined. RESULTS: The findings reveal that the use of MCDM methods in diabetes research can be categorized into 6 distinct groups: the selection of diabetes medications (19 publications), diabetes diagnosis (12 publications), meal recommendations (8 publications), diabetes management (14 publications), diabetes complication (7 publications), and estimation of diabetes prevalence (3 publications). CONCLUSIONS: Our review showed a significant portion of the MCDM literature on diabetes. The research highlights the benefits of using MCDM techniques, which are practical and effective for a variety of diabetes challenges.

• Keywords
• analytical hierarchy process, blood sugar, decision making, decision support, diabetes, diabetes management, diabetes recognition, diabetic, digital health tool, glucose, glucose management, multi-criteria decision making, review methodology, self-management, systematic review, technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

In the real world, acceptance of a decision is conditional on the availability of a great volume of data. Selection of a suitable solution on the basis of this data represents a problem that multi-criterial methods (MCDM) are applied to. The issue of which of these should be favoured during their use involves a specification of the importance of the assessed criteria. The goal of the presented research is to quantify the differences (symmetry) in assessment using selected MCDM methods (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution-TOPSIS), while applying an absolute and relative variability of the assessed criteria to a determination of their importance. The obtained results indicate that the order of the assessed subject (alternative) is not directly influenced by the method of determining the variability of the assessed criteria. We can also state that the degree of concurrence in the order of application of the TOPSIS technique, in combination with both approaches expressed by the Jaccard index, is relatively low.

• MeSH
• Research Design * MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

For a sustainable environment and to tackle the pollution problem, industrial wastes can be used in concrete composite materials. This is especially beneficial in places prone to earth quack and lower temperature. In this study, five different types of waste fibres such as polyester waste, rubber waste, rock wool waste, glass fibre waste and coconut fibre waste were used as an additive in 0.5% 1%, and 1.5% by mass in concrete mix. Seismic performance related properties of the samples were examined through evaluation of compressive strength, flexural strength, impact strength, split tensile strength, and thermal conductivity. Results showed that, impact strength of the concrete significantly improved by the addition of fibre reinforcement in concrete. Split tensile strength and flexural strength were significantly reduced. Thermal conductivity was also influenced by addition of polymeric fibrous waste. Microscopic analysis was performed to examine the fractured surfaces. In order to get the optimum mix ratio, multi response optimization technique was used to determine the desired level of impact strength at an acceptable level of other properties. Rubber waste was found to be the most attractive option followed by coconut fibre waste for the seismic application of concrete. The significance and percentage contribution of each factor was obtained by Analysis of variance ANOVA (α = 0.05) and pie chart which showed that Factor A (waste fibre type) is the main contributor. Confirmatory test was done on optimized waste material and their percentage. The order preference similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) technique was used for developed samples to obtain solution (sample) which is closest to ideal as per given weightage and preference for the decision making. The confirmatory test gives satisfactory results with error of 6.68%. Cost of reference sample and waste rubber reinforced concrete sample was estimated, which showed that 8% higher volume was achieved with waste fibre reinforced concrete at approximately same cost as pure concrete. Concrete reinforced with recycled fibre content is potentially beneficial in terms of minimizing resource depletion and waste. The addition of polymeric fibre waste in concrete composite not only improves seismic performance related properties but also reduces the environmental pollution from waste material which has no other end use.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The availability of public services has been perceived as one of the parameters for evaluating the quality of services and a basic component of the effectiveness of the system. Social services have been understood as public services in the countries of the European Union. The state has the primary responsibility for ensuring the availability of social services and should have established powers in the areas of planning, coordination and evaluation. The aim of this paper is to comprehensively evaluate the availability of homes for seniors aggregated into individual districts of the Czech Republic. The method of multi-criteria decision-making was chosen for the evaluation, specifically the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution in combination with the Coefficient of Variance method, as a method for the objective determination of the weights of input indicators. The evaluation in 2017 included 77 districts of the Czech Republic and 519 homes for seniors, which are registered providers of social services for persons who, due to age and reduced self-sufficiency, cannot take care of themselves and are users of residential social services. Based on 14 defined indicators, the local accessibility within individual districts of the Czech Republic was evaluated, focusing on five research questions. The indicators were defined in such a way as to reflect the nature of the problems and to define the need for this service in the territory. Based on the results, a significant relationship was demonstrated between the amount of subsidy per bed, per month, granted to homes for seniors in individual districts of the Czech Republic and service availability, i.e. districts in which homes for seniors with higher subsidies per bed show better availability.

• Keywords
• CV method, TOPSIS technique, availability of social services, demographic development, social services,
• MeSH
• European Union * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH

Global supply chains are increasingly becoming complex by having numerous suppliers around the world. To manage this complexity, organizations must identify the optimum number of suppliers. There have been many examples in the literature that used different approaches to solve this problem. Despite the importance of this issue, less attention has been paid to it and managers of the companies do not know how, and based on which approach and criteria, they should determine the optimal number of suppliers which leads to lower cost and higher reliability of the production line. Therefore, in this study, a hybrid methodology is proposed to expose the process of this problem which helps managers to learn how they can determine the optimal number of suppliers. We address this gap by developing an integrated approach based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) comprising best-worst method (BWM), simple additive weighting (SAW), and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), and simulation to determine the optimal number of suppliers. This study utilizes a comprehensive approach based on leagile and environmentally sustainable criteria to determine the optimal number of suppliers. To examine the efficiency of the proposed approach, an empirical case study is conducted in an Iranian oil company. The final results represent that the scenario with a 1-1-1 arrangement (one supplier for each type of equipment) is the best possible scenario to determine the optimal number of leagile-sustainable suppliers. To examine the reliability and robustness of the obtained results, a sensitivity analysis based on the three most important criteria is conducted. Finally, discussions on the findings as well as theoretical and managerial implications are presented.

• Keywords
• BWM, Leagile-sustainable suppliers, Optimal number of suppliers, SAW, Supply chain management, TOPSIS,
• MeSH
• Reproducibility of Results * MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Iran MeSH

COVID-19 has been impacting worldwide supply chains causing interruption, closure of production and distribution. This impact has been drastic on the supplier side and, as a consequence of disruptions, strong reductions of production have been estimated. Such a circumstance forces companies to propose innovative best practices of supply chain risk management aimed at facing vulnerability generated by COVID-19 and pursuing industrial improvements in manufacturing and production environments. As a part of supply chain strategy, supplier selection criteria should be revised to include pandemic-related risks. This article aims to propose an answer to such a problem. In detail, a comprehensive tool designed as a hybrid combination of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods is suggested to manage important stages connected to the production development cycle and to provide companies with a structured way to rank risks and easily select their suppliers. The main criteria of analysis will be first identified from the existent literature. Risks related to COVID-19 will be then analysed in order to elaborate a comprehensive list of potential risks in the field of interest. The Best Worst Method (BWM) will be first used to calculate criteria weights. The Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) will be then applied to rank and prioritize risks affecting suppliers. The effectiveness of the approach will be tested through a case study in the sector of automotive industry. The applicability of the designed MCDM framework can be extended also to other industrial sectors of interest.

• Keywords
• BWM, COVID-19, FTOPSIS, Supplier risks, Supplier selection,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Compression stockings/socks are one of the most essential materials to treat vascular disorders in veins. However, the comfort of wearing such stockings over prolonged period of time is a major problem. There is limited research in the area of comfort optimization while retaining the compressional performance. The current work is carried out with an aim to determine the optimum level of the input factors e.g., knitting structure, plaiting yarn linear density and main yarn linear density for achieving desired stretch recovery percentage and thermo-physiological comfort properties of compression socks used in treatment of vascular disorders. Their optimum combination was determined by using Taguchi based techniques for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution i.e., TOPIS. In this study, thickness, areal density, air permeability, thermal resistance, over all moisture management capacity (OMMC), stretch and recovery % were optimized simultaneously by using Taguchi-TOPSIS method. The results showed that linear density of plaiting and main yarn has significant influence on all the comfort related properties for compression stockings/socks. The optimum sample had linear density 20 denier for Lycra covered by 70 denier of nylon 66 in the plaiting yarn. It also suggested 120 denier nylon 66 in the main yarn knitted into a plain single jersey structure. The percentage contribution of the factors i.e., structure, plaiting yarn linear density and main yarn linear density was obtained by using ANOVA which are 7%, 31% and 42% respectively. It is worth mentioning that in case of compression stockings, the main yarn linear density has more significant effect on comfort properties as compared to other independent parameters. The results were verified by experiment, and the accuracy was relatively high (maximum error 8.533%). This study helped to select suitable knit structure with the change of linear densities of plaiting yarn and main yarn for comfortable compression stocking/sock and will fulfill the potential requirement for treatment of venous/vascular disorders. The novel methodology involving TOPSIS method helped in analyzing the cumulative contribution of the input parameters to achieve optimum compression as well as comfort performance. This modern approach is based on contemporary scientific principles and statistical approximations. This study may provide benchmark solutions to complex problems involving multiple interdependent criteria.

• MeSH
• Araceae * MeSH
• Stockings, Compression MeSH
• Vascular Diseases * therapy   MeSH
• Nylons MeSH
• Veins MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Nylons MeSH